Question: Recently the contractor on the parking lot repaving at Enchanted Lake Elementary School has been starting work at 6 a.m., waking me from my restful sleep. Is 6 a.m. an approved and an appropriate time for contractors to begin work on state Department of Education projects? If not, is there something that can be done so that they start work at an appropriate time, say 7 a.m. or 8 a.m.? It seems to me that the project was hardly worked on when it started in June and they seldom started work before 9 a.m., with only a few crew members on site. But now that school is quickly approaching, they’ve been going gangbusters and have been starting work and firing up equipment at 6 a.m., when many of us retirees on our street are still asleep.

Answer: You are one of several readers who have complained about this, and the DOE has taken action. We contacted the state office, rather than simply the school, because you asked about policy statewide. Here’s the full response from DOE spokesperson Nanea Ching:

“The Department appreciates the readers who helped bring this to our attention as we understand the importance of minimizing disruptions to the school environment and the community when maintaining our facilities.

“Construction work at public schools is typic­ally not allowed to start before 7 a.m. We have addressed this expectation with the contractor and subcontractors involved in the (Enchant ed Lake Elementary School) project. Moving forward, construction will not commence before 7 a.m. on this or any other public school project.”

Repaving at the campus on Keolu Drive in Kailua should be wrapping up soon, as the work was sche­duled from June to August, according to the school’s website.

Q: I received my primary ballot in the mail and have already returned it. My question is about the general election on Nov. 5. When will ballots be mailed out for it? I am starting to plan a trip for October and don’t want to miss my ballot.

A: Look for your general election ballot packet to be delivered in the mail about Oct. 18, according to the state Office of Elections.

Auwe

The city did not empty our garbage again. The bin was right on the curb where it’s supposed to be and no car was blocking it. We pay property taxes for city services that we are not receiving! Auwe! — A reader

(We presume that you live on one of six collection routes that the city missed on Thursday and Friday. Honolulu’s Department of Environmental Services issued a news release Friday saying that gray (trash) and blue (recyclables) carts were not emptied on six routes from Foster Village to Aina Haina due to a lack of collection trucks, a problem that has occurred intermittently on various Oahu routes since at least February. The shortage of garbage trucks is expected to persist into 2025. When a whole route is skipped, affected residents don’t need to call their collection yard to report a missed pickup, but can simply leave the cart curbside until it is serviced, an ENV spokesperson said Friday. City crews were expected to empty the missed bins Saturday. )

Mahalo

Mahalo to the patient driver who made room for me on the H-1 eastbound when I was trying to get out of the lane that has to exit at Punahou Street. So many other drivers were going way over the speed limit and there was no way I could safely change lanes until this driver who was not speeding made room. What a blessing that was because if I had been forced to exit I would have had to take surface streets to another highway entrance and I would have been late to my appointment in Aina Haina. Mahalo to that driver for driving the speed limit. I wish there were more like him. — A reader

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.